Fire-shutter.



PATENTED MAR. 27, 190 B. 0. DONNELLY.

FIRE SHUTTER. APPLICATION PILEDMAR. 7, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

X MMM/a.

i No. 816,080. PATENTED MAR. 27,1906. B. G.'DON'NELLY.'

FIRE SHUTTER. APPLIGATION FILED MAR, 1905 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrion.

BERTRAMCD0NNELLY1OF J E H MISSQUBL E- HU ER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented iyral c h' 27, race.

Application filed March 7, 1905. Serial No. 248,823.

To all whmn it may concern:

tion from one building to another through the windows.

An object of this invention is toprovide means for automatically tightening the fireshutter against the window-opening when closed, and thus prevent the passage of air,

which would tend to increase the draft'on a fire within the building. i Another object of this invention is to provide suitable means for simultaneously operating the fire-shutters of two or more windows by a mechanism which will be simple in its construction and easy to operate.

' With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the devices, their parts, and combinations of parts, as herein set forth, and the equivalents thereof.

Referring to the-accompanying drawings, in which like characters of reference indicate similarparts in the several views, Figure 1 is a front elevation of fire-shutters for a pair of windows, forming one embodiment of this invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof on a plane through the crank-shaft. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view thereof on a plane through the crank-shaft, one of the shutters being shown in 'lan. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a modified o'rm of fire-shut- I ters for a pair of windows, forming another embodiment of this invention; and Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a fire-shutter for a single window, constituting a still further modification of thisinvention.

In the drawings, 6 represents the wall of a building with window or other openings 7 I therethrough, and 8 represents the projecting sills of the windows.

"In the-embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 each window-opening is provided with ashutter 9, formed of a rectangularshield or screen of fireproof mateopening. The parallel rial, such as sheet metal, which is suspended,

by means of a pair of parallel links 10,from the wall of the building. "The 1in'ks"10 a1-e pivoted to the shutter at about "its middle portion and near its side edges 'upon-pivetal pins 1 1, projecting therefrom, and hang from suitable prO ecting pivotal pins .12,secure'd tothe wall of the buildin' above the window- 1O- are" of" the same length or have their pivotalconnections at the same distance apart, so that the shut ter 9 will remain in a vertical position at all timesv when swung thereon. The linksj re given an angular bend near their upper ends to olfset'said upper ends and providea space between the main portion of the links and the wall 6, through which the shuttengmaypass in swinging to one side of the window-open ing, as shown'in dotted lines in Fig. 1'; The nearest pivotal pins 11 of the ,two adjaeent shutters are connected togethenby' means of a connecting bar 113, pivotally mounted thereon, which serves to ceupleft'he two shutters together, so that a movement of one will impart a corresponding movement to the other and therefore'require'thein to move in unison. i A crank-shaft 14 is j ournaled-through the wall 6 and is provided-oniits innere nd'inside of the wall with an operating-Handle *1'5 and on its outer endout'side of the wall wane crank 16. Crank 16 has its outer end pivot ally connected by a link 17 with some portion of the coupled shutters, preferablywith one of the pivotal pins 11, on which the connecting-bar13is-mounte The turning of the handle 15 within the building causes the crank 16 to swing the coupled shutters 9 upon their'supporting' links 10 from the position shown in arm lines in Fig. 1, where they close the window openings, to the position shown in dotted lines, where they are located alongside 'efthe window-openings slightly higher In swinging the shutters open the crank '16"and the link 17 pass beyond the line oiningtlieir outer ends, or what might betermed the dead-center, so that the weight of the 'shut ters tends topress the crank downwardly against a stop-pin 18, provided therefon'in the wall 6, to keep .them suspended in'their open position. (Shown in'dotted lines) A guide-rail 19 extends entirely across both window openings and is bent outfro'm' the wall 6, to which it is connected,to form a guide for the shutters and prevent their inoving away from the building. This guide-rail is above the window-sills a suflicient distance to retain its relation with the shutters 9 when they are raised to their open position and serves to guide them in their movements from one position tothe other.

Each shutter 9 is provided near its upper end with a pair of wedge-blocks 20, which are tapering in form to engage the links 10 with a cam action as the shutters approach their closedposition. By pressing the upper end of the shutter away from the supporting-links 10 they serve to force said shutter tightly against the window-opening and as far as possible prevent the passage of air therebetween.

All of the pivotal connections above mentioned are preferably made secure against disengagement by means of cotter-pins 21, as shown.

In operation the shutters are normally left in their raised or open positions, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, where they are entirely free from the window-openings and are located alongside of them at a slightly-higher elevation, with the crank 16 held tightly against the stop lug 18 to prevent their swinging down into their closed position. When it is desired to close the shutters in event of fire orat other times, it is only necessary to swing the handle 15 over from one side to the other and so swing the crank 16, which will allow the pair of shutters to swing downwardly upon their supporting-links 10 by their own weight until one shutter strikes against the bend of the guide-rail 9. In this position the shutters hang naturally from their swinging support and effectively close the window-openings, being jammed thereagainst by the cam action of the wedgeblocks 20. It is obvious that the reverse operation of the crank-handle 15 will restore the shutters to their open position, the two of them always moving in unison with their parts and connections in parallelism.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4 the shutters 9 are similarly mounted upon pairs of parallel links 10, but instead of being suspended from above these' links have their connections with the wall 6 located below the window-openings. The operation of the shutters in this construction is practically the same as the operation of the construction above described; but their movement is more nearly horizontal, and their final open position is alongside of the window-openings on the same level therewith. In this construction the two shutters are coupled by the connecting-bar 13 as before, and the connectinglink 17 similarly connects them with crank 16 on the shaft 14 but here the handle 15 preferably extends downwardly in the closed position of the shutters and is'swung to an upwardly-extending position in opening the shutters. No stop-lug is required for the crank 16 in this construction, since the shutters may rest upon the sills 8 in their 0 )en as well as in their closed positions, or the engagement of one shutter with the bend of the guide-rail 19, which is here located near the upper ends of the windows, may be relied on to prevent the shutters moving beyond their open position. (Shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4.) A single wedge-block 20 is located on each shutter for engaging one of the links 10 to tighten the shutter against the window opening when closed, and this is located near the bottom of the shutter at the middle thereof.

In Fig. 5 is shown a single shutter, which is suspended from above by a single link 10, connected near the central point of the shutter and slightly thereabove instead. of by the pair of parallel links, as shown in Fig. 1. In this form of fire-shutter the wedge-block 20 and the guide-rail 19 are provided, as in the other constructions but the operating-rod 1 3 is bolted to the edge of the shutter 9 at 22 to keep said shutter in its upright position. It is obvious that the shutter may also be supported by a single link from below in the same manner.

The invention provides a simple and ellicient fire-shutter which will be cheap to construct and install, which will be durable and not liable to get out of order, and which may be quickly and easily operated by any one to effectively close one or more windows in case of fire and prevent the fire passing through the windows from one building to another or from one portion of a building to another. This fire-shutter also securely seals the window against the passage therethrough of a considerable draft, which might increase the intensity of a blaze within the building. It is obvious that the rock-shaft 14 may be operated from the outside of the building when convenient access may be had thereto.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. A fire-shutter for buildings, comprising a pair of shutters, links connecting the shutters with the building upon which links the shutters may be swung from one position to another to open and close window-openings, a connecting-bar coupling the shutters together, a crank-shaft mounted on the wall of the building and having connection with the coupled shutters by which the shutters may be swung, and a guide-rail secured to the building and extending at a slight distance therefrom to guide the shutters in their movements.

2. A fire-shutter for buildings, comprising a pair of shutters, links connecting the shutters with the building upon which links the shutters may swing from one position to another to open and close wimlow-openings, a connecting-bar coupling the shutters together so that they move in unison, a crankshaft mounted on the wall of the building and having. connection with the cou led shutters, and means for tightening the s utters against the'wall of the building as the shutters close the window-openings. j

v 3. A fire-shutter for buildings, comprising a pair of shutters, links pivotally connected to the shutters and to the building by which the shutters may be swun from one position to another to open and c ose window-openings, a connecting-bar coupling the shutters together so that they move in unison, a crank-shaft mounted on the wall of the building and having connection with the coupled shutters by which theymay be moved from one position to another, and wedge-blocks on the shutters to be engaged by the links as the shutters swing to their closed positions and thereby force the shutters tightly against the wall of the building around the window-openin s. 1

4.- A fire-shutter for buildin s, comprising a pair of shutters, parallel lin s connecting the shutters with the building on which links the shutters may be swung from one position to another to open and c ose window-openings, a connecting-bar coupling the shutters together, a crank-shaft journaled throu h the Wall of the building, a crank on the cran shaft, a link connecting the crank to the coupled shutters, a handle on the crank-shaft inside the wall of the building, and a stop-lug on the wall of the building for engaging the crank after the crank and its link have passed their dead-center and the shutters are in their open position.

5. A fire shutterfor buildings having win- (low-openings, comprising a pair of shutters, a pair of parallel links connecting each shutter with the wall of the building above the window-openings on which links the shutters may be swung from one position to another to open and close the window-openings, a connecting-bar coupling the shutters together, a crank-shaftjournaled through the wall of thebuilding, a crank on the crankshaft, a link connecting the crank with the connecting-bar, a stop-lug on the wall of the building for limiting the movement of the crank, an operating-handle on the crankshaft inside of the Wall of the building, wedgeblocks on the shutters engaging the support ing-links as the shutters close to force the shutters away from the supporting -olinks against the wall around the window-openings, and a guide-rail extending across the window-openings at a distance from the wall to guide the shutters in their movements.

1 6.. A fire-shutter for buildings, comprising a shutter, parallel links connecting the shut ter with the wall of the building on which links the shutter may be swung from one po sition to another to open and close a windowopening, a crank-shaft j ournaled through the wall of the building, a crank on the crankshaft, a link connecting the crank with the ter member with the buildin shutter, a stop for limiting the movement links the shutter may be moved from one position to another to open and close a windowopening, a crank-shaft journaled through the wall of the building, a crank on the crankshaft, a link connecting the crank with the shutter, a stop-lug for limiting the movement of the crank, means for operating the crankshaft, and wedge-blocks on the shutter for engaging the su porting-links as the shutter is closed and orcing the shutter tov bear tightly against the wall around the windowopening. g

8. A fire-shutter for buildings, comprising a shutter, a link connecting the shutter with the wallof the building above a windowopening on'which link the shutter may be swung from one position to another to open and close the window-opening, means for swinging the shutter, and a wedge-block on the shutter engaging the link as the shutter closes for forcing the shutter tightly against the shutter tightly against the wall of the building around the window-opening, and a guard-rail mounted on the wall of the building and extending a slight distance there from to form a guide. for the shutter. 10. A fire-shutter for buildings, comprising a shutter member, links connecting the shutupon which links the shutter member may e swung from one positi n to another to open and close a wind0w= opening, means for swinging the shutter member on the links from one position to the other, and a guide-rail secured to the building and extending aslight distance therefrom to guide the shutter member in its movements.

1 1. A fire shutter for buildings, comprising a shutter member, links connecting the shut ter member with the building upon which links the shutter member may swing from one position'to another to open and close a window-opening, means for swinging the shutter member, and means for tightening the shutter member against the wall of the building as it closes the window-opening.

12. A fire-shutter for buildings, comprising a shutter member, links pivotally connected &

to the shutter member and to the building I and close a window-opening, a crank-shaft by which the shutter member may be swung from one position to. another to open and close a window-opening, means for swinging the shutter member, and wedge-blocks on the shutter member to be engaged by the links as the shutter member swings to its closed position and thereby force the shutter member tightly against the wall of the building around the window-opening.

13. A fire-shutter for buildings, comprising a shutter member, parallel links connecting the shutter member with the building on which links the shutter member may be swung from one position to another to open j ournaled through the wall of the building, a crank on the crank-shaft, a link connecting the crank with the shutter member, a handle on the crank shaft inside the wall of the building, and a stop on the wall of the building for engaging the crank after it has passed its dead-center and the shutter is in its open position.

In testimony whereof I afllx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BERTRAM C. DONNELLY. Witnesses:

DANIEL SPOERNDLI, LoUIs KNAPP. 

